It took three tries before Love, best known for hits such as '(Today I Met) The Boy I'm Gonna Marry' and her work with producer Phil Spector and the Blossoms, was approved for the hall. When reached on Tuesday, an enthusiastic Love said: "I can actually breathe."

"Finally it's done," she added. "It still hasn't hit me yet. I still have that nervous stomach, and I'm still excited."

The excitement will have to wait for some: Bon Jovi, nominated for the first time, was turned away from the hall, as was LL Cool J, the J. Geils Band, the Beastie Boys, Donna Summer and more.

Alice Cooper's name had been mentioned in conjunction with the Rock Hall for years, but the shock rocker hadn't been nominated until this year. Like Diamond, Cooper said he wasn't anxiously waiting.

"You know it crosses your mind, but then you think of all the guys who aren't in there, some of them before you, and you go, 'Wow.' ... You realize that it's a waiting game," he said in a phone interview. "I don't think you sit around holding your breath on it."

Cooper, a heavy metal rocker best known for his dark horror themes, said his band was responsible for bringing show business into rock 'n' roll.

"There was no spectacle in rock 'n' roll, and I think what we did was we kind of brought theater to rock 'n' roll," said Cooper, known for a goth look, heavy eyeliner and black shaggy hair. "It was sort of Cirque du Soleil before Cirque du Soleil. It was kind of a weird vaudeville that we did. But it all connected back to the lyrics. ... If we do a 10-hour rehearsal back then, nine hours was on the music, and one hour was on the theatrics."

Diamond was on the other end of the spectrum, a singer-songwriter whose first hit came in the form of a song he wrote for the Monkees, 'I'm a Believer.' His early hits in the 1960s included 'Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon' and 'Cherry Cherry.'

"The music I was doing was not in vogue. ... I was like a lone voice out there with a guitar, and it was different than what was going on because it was the English invasion and I wasn't doing that," Diamond said. "I think I've had so many hits because what I was putting out and what I was writing was very different for what was being played on the radio."

He's kept producing relevant material through the decades; he released his latest album this fall. Diamond said he was gratified to be in the hall and said his first choice to induct him would be a fan. Of his induction, he joked: "I'm glad they did it before I'm dead."

Love said she thought two of her biggest boosters for the hall -- Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's Stevie Van Zandt - would likely do the honors at the March 14 induction ceremony in New York City.

She was also happy for some of the other inductees, including Russell, who used to play on some of her sessions.

"This is going to be a helluva jam session," she quipped about the upcoming festivities.

Gabourey Sidibe attends The American Cancer Society's Choose You luncheon on May 5th in New York City.

Amy Sussman, Getty Images

Amy Sussman, Getty Images

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any rock and toll hall of fame that keepsout alice cooper but inducts grandmaster flashisn't about the music its just politics.neil diamond should have been in years agolisten to kentucky woman, you got to me, thankthe lord for the nightime and cherry, cherry.the guy hits all the right chords..

my friends and i spent many hours listening to our tansistor radios in the 60's on those same brooklyn roads neil diamond sang about. now i have all his "beautiful noise" on my ipod. thank you for 40 someting years of wonderful music. congratulations on the rock and roll hall of fame for finally getting it right.

If the Hall of Fame has nominees such as LL Cool J and the Beastie Boys, then they should nominate Lord Richard Buckley, who was the originator of spoken word/Rap music. As in the case of Rock and Roll, without Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf and Country Star Jimmy Bryant, there would have been huge gap in the R & R blood line. Any Musicologist knows the genesis of rap lies with Lord Buckley.

Not to discredit any of the folks nominated; however, to me, Rock and Roll is a 50's and very early 60's thing. I was a teenager in the 50's, during the REAL Rock and Roll era. What we have today is not Rock and Roll. I don't know what you call it; it is NOT R&R.

As usual, the Hall of Shame ignored the biggest rock acts in history, such as Journey, the Moody Blues, Chicago, Kiss, and many others, but manage to induct people who are if not barely known, have contributed one or two hits. Tom Waits? Darlene Love? Ridiculous. The Hall of Fame really is a joke.

I'm sorry, but Tom Waits and Neil Diamond do not belong in the ROCK AND ROLL Hall of Fame; maybe the Songwriters Hall of Fame, or the Singers Hall of Fame-- maybe-- but certainly not the ROCK AND ROLL Hall of Fame.Murray Silver,Author"Great Balls of Fire: The Uncensored Story of Jerry Lee Lewis"

I can understand if some are bummed, because someone they felt should have been elected wasn't, but to say someone like Neil Diamond doesn't belong is ridiculous. The list of his music which were top 40 hits for himself, and others is probably as long as anyone who performed in the easy listening genre. Yes, Neil Diamond definitely belongs. Alice Cooper, perhaps because of the whole package he offered. The other two only create arguments because of others being left out, while they're voted in, which honestly they in no way deserve.

Well, They did it again this year. No Kiss? No Rush? No Uncle Ted? Madonna made it before these legends? Give me a Break. The artists that get inducted should make a stand for the ones that are not in and should be in. Congrats Alice, You deserve it!